Just starting CCGs

[johnsemlak]

I've just had my first intro session into CCGs--Magic the Gathering. Very complex, I'm still learning. I don't think I'll take it up, but it's very fastinating.

Can someone confirm this bit of trivia--Magic was first marketed as a game for D&D players to play during breaks at gaming conventions?

 

[MerricB]

Hmm... marketed... I'm not sure.

It was designed as something that "could be played quickly with minimal equipment, and would go over well at conventions." (according to Richard Garfield, in the MtG Pocket Player's Guide, 1994).

Cheers!

 

[Asmo]

Please stay away from Magic:the Gathering. Once your´re hooked..well..it´s going to get ugly
I´ve spent quite a lot of money on that game,it´s very addictive.
It´s one of the best games I´ve ever played, but it just costs to much to play.
And I started to play M:tg while waiting for my turn in a AD&D game

Asmo

 

[Zappo]

On the other hand, if you get good you can stop spending money and actually gain some (you don't need to win tournaments, just be evil and screw newbies while trading).

 

[Henry]

RULE #1 OF ANY COLLECTIBLE CARD GAME: ONLY SPEND WHAT YOU CAN LOGICALLY AFFORD.

My weakness for Magic the Gathering was not wholly but partly responsible for some rough financial straits I found myself in from about 1995 to 1997. I still have about 10,000 cards or so to prove it. It's like cigarettes, but without the nicotine and smoke. First, you buy just one pack, "because it's only a few dollars." Then, you start buying entire boxes of 36 packs at a time, "just to build up a trading stock." Next thing you know, you're buying several boxes at once, "Because you just GOTTA have four Shivan Dragons to make your next deck concept work."

My name is Henry Link, and I am a Magic Addict. I've been clean for 2 years, 3 months, and 4 days now - But I NEVER forget where I've come from.

UNLIKE addiction, I can still occasionally play a casual friendly game, and I keep about 20 complete decks on hand for this purpose. However, I have long ago since learned to find out NO NEW INFORMATION about new expansions, because all it would take is one new cool ability, one cool deck concept, and I'm back off the wagon.

Magic the Gathering is one of the most fun games I've ever played, because of the permutations available, and the new deck strategies people come up with in a limited environment.

My advice? No more than one starter deck and a few boosters per player, and see what neat ideas you can all come up with, using just the limited pool of cards. If one person has a highly customized deck, it starts a buying escalation with all the other players. Be careful not to get into that situation, because before you know it you'll have far mroe than you can possibly use.

But it's incredible fun.

 

[Zappo]

See? The trick is that when you want four Whoopass Dragons to make your next deck work, you don't buy six boxes. You get someone else (someone like Henry ) to buy them, and then you trade your foil Overpower Dragon, which you know will be banned next season bringing its value to zero, for the four Whoopass Dragons he found. When the Whoopass Dragon Deck is about to become extinct due to the new Freaking Dragon, you sell them for a heap of money back to the guy who gave them to you in the first place, after having beated him repeatedly with the Whoopass Dragon Deck to prove its superiority.

 

[Krug]

Well you might look for some other CCG that never caught on (Eg: almost anything else besides Magic) and buy them off Ebay. Cthulhu was pretty cool and so were many others. I managed to free myself of my MtG addiction and I'm glad. Any game that requires you to spend money to be good at isn't for me.

 

[johnsemlak]

Thanks for the info Merric.


In general, I don't forsee CCG addiction for me (NB add that to the famous last words section). I don't have any close frieds who play them, and I'm just too into D&D right now. It is interesting though.

Happy Boxing Day and a happy holiday season, everyone.

 

[Tewligan]

My advice? No more than one starter deck and a few boosters per player, and see what neat ideas you can all come up with, using just the limited pool of cards. If one person has a highly customized deck, it starts a buying escalation with all the other players. Be careful not to get into that situation, because before you know it you'll have far mroe than you can possibly use.

My group did this after we got burned out on the Magic arms race, and it was a lot of fun. We each got a starter pack and two boosters. Trading was allowed, and we also played for ante - something that you don't see very often with $150+ decks. Whenever you lost a card in ante you signed the face of it - a LOT of cards in the playing pool had signatures, eyeglasses and mustaches, etc.

 

[MerricB]

G'day, folks!

My name is Merric Blackman and I'm a Magic Addict.

I started in April 1994, and I'm still going.

Not only do I play Magic, I also play Star Wars (Decipher & WotC versions), Star Trek, Dune, Babylon 5, Vampire, Battletech and Lord of the Rings.

The only thing that saves my wallet is that many of those games aren't produced any more.

The other thing is with Magic, I rarely buy individual packs any more. Every month, my local store runs a booster draft that I enter. I normally either place 1st or 2nd, and win several more packs for my collection. (I wish I could do the same for LotR, but there's a much smaller player pool here in Ballarat).

I'm also heavily into D&D, DMing two campaigns.

Oh, and occasionally I play Settlers of Catan. Or Carcassonne. Or Dune. Or Talisman.

Yes, I'm a gaming addict.

One of the reasons I'm so fond of Magic, is that it's the best two-player game I know. Very few others hold my attention for long. (Traditional card games? Boring!)

Cheers!